Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks eBook

At this moment Mandy appeared at the door and announced
dinner, and Quincy had the pleasure of leading Alice
to her accustomed seat at the table.

“I took the liberty while upstairs,” said
Quincy, “to glance at a book that was on your
bureau entitled, ‘The Love of a Lifetime,’
Have you read it?”

“No,” replied Alice. “I commenced
it the night before I was taken sick.”

“I shall be pleased to read it aloud to you,”
said Quincy.

“I should enjoy listening to it very much,”
she replied.

So after dinner they returned to the parlor and Quincy
read aloud until the descending sun again sent its
rays through the parlor windows to fall upon Alice’s
face and hair, and Quincy thought to himself how happy
he should be if the fair girl who sat beside him ever
became the love of his lifetime.

Alice finally said she was tired and must have a rest.
Quincy called Mandy and she went to her room.
A few moments later Quincy was in his own room and
after locking his door sat down to inspect his plunder.

Alice did not rest, however; something was on her
mind. She found her way to the bureau and took
up the pictures.

“Only four,” she said to herself, after
counting them. “Let me see,” she
continued, “the photographer gave me thirteen,—­a
baker’s dozen he called it. Now to whom
have I given them? ’Zekiel, one; Uncle Ike,
two; Mrs. Putnam, three; Stella Dwight, four; Bessie
White, five; Emma Farnum, six; Mr. Ringgold, seven;
Mr. Fisher, eight. That would leave five and
I have only four. Now to whom did I give that
other picture?”

And the guilty thief sat on the other side of the
partition and exulted in his crime. There came
a loud rap at his door, and Quincy started up so suddenly
that he dropped the picture and it fell to the floor.
He caught it up quickly and placed it in his pocket.
As he unlocked the door and opened it he heard loud
rapping on the door of Miss Pettengill’s room.

Looking into the entry he saw ’Zekiel, who cried
out, “Say, you folks, have you forgotten that
you have been invited out to tea this evening, and
that we are going to give a surprise party to Mr. Strout
and his friends? I am all dressed and the sleigh
is ready.”

Without waiting for a reply he dashed downstairs.

While Quincy was donning his sober suit of black,
with a Prince Albert coat and white tie, Alice had
put on an equally sober costume of fawn colored silk,
with collar and cuffs of dainty lace, with little dashes
of pink ribbon, by way of contrast in color.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Thesurpriseparty.

After Alice had taken her place on the back seat in
the double sleigh, Quincy started to take his place
on the front seat, beside ’Zekiel, but the latter
motioned him to sit beside Alice, and Quincy did so
without needing any urging.

As ’Zekiel took up the reins, Quincy leaned
forward and touched him on the shoulder.